"Cancelled by Kickstarter" is the New "Banned in Boston"

Or How Kickstarter Doubled Our Backing By Cancelling Us

We’ve all heard of the “Streisand Effect.” That’s where an attempt to suppress information online backfires spectacularly and only serves to increase awareness of the information. That “psychological reactance” occurs because once people are aware that information is being kept from them, they are more highly motivated to seek it. There may be a better way, however, to describe what happened last week when Kickstarter banned The Wise of Heart.

Once upon a time, the Puritans of Boston made a point of banning any salacious or immoral publications that failed to meet their community standards. The New England Society for the Suppression of Vice would review books and magazines, and anything they found objectionable would be forbidden from distribution within the city. People being what they are, for a work to be “Banned in Boston” became a selling point, and customers deliberately sought out the forbidden works to see what all the fuss was about.

Today, pornography far more lurid and objectionable than anything banned in Boston has become commonplace. Instead, the wokescolds of today’s Trust and Safety committees ban, not pornography, but rather anything they think might be at odds with their woke ideology.

The end result is similar, and anything “cancelled by Kickstarter” attracts instant attention. To be cancelled by Kickstarter is today’s mark of distinction, indicating a provocative work that defies the conventional, bland, stale, and commonplace tropes that define most woke art.

A week ago, The Wise of Heart, had blown past the $3000 funding goal and had reached $4000, surging to meet the $6000 stretch goal for an audiobook. Then on Wednesday May 24, Kickstarter cancelled The Wise of Heart campaign. I explained what happened in this post, “Cancelled by Kickstarter,” and re-platformed the campaign at FundMyComic.com.

I knew being cancelled by Kickstarter would bring attention and publicity, but I had no idea how much:

• Fox News, Thu. May 25: Kickstarter abruptly suspends comic project for 'defying transgenderism'

• Bounding Into Comics, Thu. May 25: Kickstarter Goes Full Bud Light, Suspends Campaign Pushing Back Against Transgender Ideology

• The Blaze, Fri. May 26: Kickstarter suspends illustrated novel ‘defying transgenderism’ after project was fully funded

• Upstream Reviews, Fri. May 26: The Death and Life of The Wise of Heart

• Vox Populi, Fri. May 26: Kickstarter Bans “The Wise At Heart”

Just under a week later, we’re now up to DOUBLE that original level: just over $8000. That’s your accomplishment, not mine. Yours and your fellow backers. You refused to let Kickstarter’s cancellation stand, and followed the campaign to its new home at FundMyComic, in many cases, increasing your pledge. Or you heard the story and decided to support a worthy cause. Or you’ve been following here as a paid subscriber. Whichever way, you made it happen, and you became a player in a story every bit as memorable as the one you are backing. Elin Chancey and I are just on the sidelines cheering you on.

I sent an update to Wise of Heart backers last night with the same message. But the key item to point out is that you must act to be listed in the acknowledgements in the book. (1) The terms of use we all agreed to do not allow us to use your personal information for anything other than fulfillment and project updates, and (2) it occurs to us there may be some backers who – for whatever reason – don’t want to be publicly listed as contributors.

If you want to be listed as a backer in the acknowledgements you must return to the campaign website at this link, select the $1 “Credit as a Backer” reward, and apply coupon code "DOLLAROFF" to receive a $1 credit. Sorry for the complexity, but that seems to be the best way to work within the FundMyComic infrastructure to ensure that only people who definitely opt-in have their name exposed as a backer.

I also let backers know we are extending the campaign period another week. Why? All the fuss and bother of dealing with the deplatforming means we're still not ready to begin shipping at the end of the campaign as I hoped. Having Memorial Day Weekend fall in the middle of my week on FundMyComic, probably limited the reach and visibility of the sale, too. Therefore, we’re extending the sale to Thursday June 8.

We also added some new rewards. The add-ons from the Kickstarter didn’t get carried over, even though they are mentioned in the project description. We've now added them in.

Name a character $50: You can name a supporting character with a mutually acceptable name. In other words, it’s not going to be Judgey McJudgeFace. We’ll refund your money if we reach an impasse. Available characters include the senators’ aides, the expert witness, “Dr. Good Expert,” members of the media circus, the court recorder, the superintendent, and the judge. The guard has already been taken. First come first serve.

Be on the Jury $100: Submit a suitable picture and artist Elin Chancey will draw YOU onto the jury. You will also receive a signed black and white print. Only six places left!

Audiobook UNLOCKED! $10 Don’t forget an audiobook edition will go into production in August, thanks to our meeting our stretch goal.

Also, we have updated the cover to add the “Backers’ Limited Special Edition” ribbon. This ribbon will make your physical copies instantly recognizable as a collectable. Based on current orders we anticipate capping the total number printed at no more than 100 copies. We will have a limited supply of additional backers’ copies available at a higher cost as we round up the total printed. Below is the paperback cover, the hardcover graphic will have slightly different dimensions.

Finally, we deeply appreciate all the messages of support you left. Although we have not had time to answer each one individually, we very much appreciate it.

There’s a huge community out there of independent underappreciated creators like us working under banners like #Comicsgate, #IronAge, and #Superversive creating innovative works that defy the narrow tropes acceptable to the wokescolds. Search them out and take a look. You may enjoy what you find.

The ride never ends. Thanks for joining our adventure. And be on the lookout for the next.